Translation of selected abstracts from a sermon of the same title by Mufti Taqi Usmani RA.
"And whoever makes a good recommendation, there shall be for him a share from it (in the Hereafter). And whoever makes a bad recommendation, there shall be for him a share from it." Surah Al-Nisa:85
Hazrat Abu Musa Ash'ari RAA narrates that when a needy person came to Rasool Allah SAW (Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him) and requested for some need to be fulfilled Rasool Allah SAW would turn to the Sahaba (Holy Companions of the Prophet SAW) sitting in his presence and would ask them to request Rasool Allah SAW to fulfil that person's wishes so that they would get the thawab (reward) of Sifarish. Rasool Allah SAW would further say that he would not make the wrong decision because of Sahaba's sifarish. He will make the decision according to Allah SWT's dictates but the Sahaba would still get the thawab of doing sifarish.
In this Hadith (saying of Rasool Allah SAW) the idea is to point it out that trying to help another human being is very virtuous and that we should try to help other people as much as we can. However, Sharia has dictated some Do's and Don't's when it comes to doing sifarish. We need to know what sifarish actually means, when is it permissible to do it and when is it impermissible, and what might be the outcome of sifarish. It is because of not knowing and not acting upon these things that something which was supposed to be virtuous and to bring thawab has become a curse and a source of injustice for our society.
DOING SIFARISH FOR SOMEONE WHO IS NOT SUITABLE FOR A POST
Sifarish is only permissible when the favour being asked for is justified and correct. It is never permissible to do sifarish for something which the person doing sifarish knows to be unjustified and improper. For example, if someone comes to us wanting our support for a post he is not eligible or suitable for, if we then do sifarish for him only considering that he is needy or we know him but ignoring the fact that he does not meet the criteria for that post and is not eligible for it, then this sifarish would be hara'am (impermissible).
SIFARISH IS LIKE GIVING EVIDENCE
While doing sifarish most people say that they are only trying to help someone but sifarish also has a status of endorsing or recommending someone, or giving evidence in favour of someone. So recommending someone for a job is like giving evidence that he is eligible for that job. If we know in advance that this is not the case then it is giving false evidence which is a sin and hara'am (impermissible). In fact if someone gets a post unjustly because of someone's knowingly giving wrong recommendation, and then if because of his incompetence he does something wrong or harms people the person who knowingly gave the wrong recommendation would also get a portion of the sin, as per the ayet above.
WHEN IS SAFARISH IMPERMISSIBLE?
Sometimes people do sifarish to an examiner asking them to judge someone's paper more favourably than it should be under the false belief that they are doing someone a favour and it is a virtuous act. Similarly sometimes people go to a judge doing sifarish for a party in a case. Both of these are hara'am because this is influencing the examiner or the judge to decide an outcome on the basis of who this person knows rather than on the merits of the paper or the case.
SIFARISH IS ONLY A RECOMMENDATION, NOT AN ORDER
While most people know that sifarish in impermissible in some situations like recommending someone for a job he is not qualified to do, many people don't understand that even when sifarish is allowed it is only a way of bringing a matter to someone's attention e.g. to make them aware of another option. It is not permissible to put undue pressure on someone that they must do something even if it is against their practice or their rules. When there is more than one right option it is not allowed to put pressure on someone to make a decision they would not have made following their own rules. That is not sifarish, that is exerting undue influence and pressure which is not permissible in Sharia.
IT IS NOT RIGHT TO COLLECT DONATIONS IN PUBLIC
Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi RA used to say that it is not right to collect donations even for a good cause publicly in a gathering because in that situation even if someone doesn't want to contribute they may feel pressured to do it because of fear of embarrassment in front of everyone and Rasool Allah SAW has said that it is not halal to take money from a Muslim unless he is happy about it. Even if he verbally allows it but in his heart he is not happy about it it is not halal to take that money.
WHAT WORDS TO USE WHEN DOING SIFARISH
When making a recommendation Hazrat Thanvi RA used to write, "I think this person is suitable for this favour. If it is within your power, and it is not against your practice or principles please do this favour."Mufti Taqi Usmani RA said that once someone asked him to make a recommendation he wrote the words above. But the person asking for the favour got upset and said, "Why did you write, 'if it is not against your principles', you should have just written, 'please do it'." However, Mufti Taqi Usmani RA said that when doing sifarish one must try to balance the rights of and be fair to both the parties.
GETTING UPSET WHEN SIFARISH IS NOT ACCEPTED
People today misunderstand that if they have done a sifarish then the other person is somehow obligated to accept it, and get upset or angry when it is not accepted. At the beginning you would have noticed that Rasool Allah SAW said, "Make sifarish to me, but it is not obligatory that I will accept it. I will decide what Allah SWT says is the right thing to do." Today people feel that if their sifarish or suggestion is not acted upon, somehow they have been insulted. That is not correct. Religiously the meaning of sifarish is to do one's part in helping someone in need. Once they have done that they get thawab (reward) for it regardless of whether it is acted upon or not.
Many Muslims have heard the story of Hazrat Bareerah RAA and Hazrat Mughis RAA when Hazrat Bareerah terminated her nikah with him. When Rasool Allah SAW asked her to reconsider it she asked if it was his suggestion or an order from him. When he said it was just a suggestion she said that in that case her decision was not to accept it and Rasool Allah SAW didn't express any displeasure at all.
In summary, one must remember a few things when doing sifarish. First, safarish should only be done in situations where it is permissible. It should not be done in circumstances where it is hara'am like for court cases or when someone is checking exam papers. Second, sifarish should only be done when one knows that favour itself is permissible, for example if you know that someone has the qualifications required to do that particular job. Third, it should be made as a suggestion, and no undue pressure or influence should be wielded. Fourth, if someone rejects our sifarish we shouldn't get upset and angry and should remember that it was just a suggestion which the other person had the full right to accept or reject. If these four principles are adhered to then InshaAllah safarish will lead to getting thawab and will not lead to causing unfairness and injustice in society.
"And whoever makes a good recommendation, there shall be for him a share from it (in the Hereafter). And whoever makes a bad recommendation, there shall be for him a share from it." Surah Al-Nisa:85
Hazrat Abu Musa Ash'ari RAA narrates that when a needy person came to Rasool Allah SAW (Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him) and requested for some need to be fulfilled Rasool Allah SAW would turn to the Sahaba (Holy Companions of the Prophet SAW) sitting in his presence and would ask them to request Rasool Allah SAW to fulfil that person's wishes so that they would get the thawab (reward) of Sifarish. Rasool Allah SAW would further say that he would not make the wrong decision because of Sahaba's sifarish. He will make the decision according to Allah SWT's dictates but the Sahaba would still get the thawab of doing sifarish.
In this Hadith (saying of Rasool Allah SAW) the idea is to point it out that trying to help another human being is very virtuous and that we should try to help other people as much as we can. However, Sharia has dictated some Do's and Don't's when it comes to doing sifarish. We need to know what sifarish actually means, when is it permissible to do it and when is it impermissible, and what might be the outcome of sifarish. It is because of not knowing and not acting upon these things that something which was supposed to be virtuous and to bring thawab has become a curse and a source of injustice for our society.
DOING SIFARISH FOR SOMEONE WHO IS NOT SUITABLE FOR A POST
Sifarish is only permissible when the favour being asked for is justified and correct. It is never permissible to do sifarish for something which the person doing sifarish knows to be unjustified and improper. For example, if someone comes to us wanting our support for a post he is not eligible or suitable for, if we then do sifarish for him only considering that he is needy or we know him but ignoring the fact that he does not meet the criteria for that post and is not eligible for it, then this sifarish would be hara'am (impermissible).
SIFARISH IS LIKE GIVING EVIDENCE
While doing sifarish most people say that they are only trying to help someone but sifarish also has a status of endorsing or recommending someone, or giving evidence in favour of someone. So recommending someone for a job is like giving evidence that he is eligible for that job. If we know in advance that this is not the case then it is giving false evidence which is a sin and hara'am (impermissible). In fact if someone gets a post unjustly because of someone's knowingly giving wrong recommendation, and then if because of his incompetence he does something wrong or harms people the person who knowingly gave the wrong recommendation would also get a portion of the sin, as per the ayet above.
WHEN IS SAFARISH IMPERMISSIBLE?
Sometimes people do sifarish to an examiner asking them to judge someone's paper more favourably than it should be under the false belief that they are doing someone a favour and it is a virtuous act. Similarly sometimes people go to a judge doing sifarish for a party in a case. Both of these are hara'am because this is influencing the examiner or the judge to decide an outcome on the basis of who this person knows rather than on the merits of the paper or the case.
SIFARISH IS ONLY A RECOMMENDATION, NOT AN ORDER
While most people know that sifarish in impermissible in some situations like recommending someone for a job he is not qualified to do, many people don't understand that even when sifarish is allowed it is only a way of bringing a matter to someone's attention e.g. to make them aware of another option. It is not permissible to put undue pressure on someone that they must do something even if it is against their practice or their rules. When there is more than one right option it is not allowed to put pressure on someone to make a decision they would not have made following their own rules. That is not sifarish, that is exerting undue influence and pressure which is not permissible in Sharia.
IT IS NOT RIGHT TO COLLECT DONATIONS IN PUBLIC
Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi RA used to say that it is not right to collect donations even for a good cause publicly in a gathering because in that situation even if someone doesn't want to contribute they may feel pressured to do it because of fear of embarrassment in front of everyone and Rasool Allah SAW has said that it is not halal to take money from a Muslim unless he is happy about it. Even if he verbally allows it but in his heart he is not happy about it it is not halal to take that money.
WHAT WORDS TO USE WHEN DOING SIFARISH
When making a recommendation Hazrat Thanvi RA used to write, "I think this person is suitable for this favour. If it is within your power, and it is not against your practice or principles please do this favour."Mufti Taqi Usmani RA said that once someone asked him to make a recommendation he wrote the words above. But the person asking for the favour got upset and said, "Why did you write, 'if it is not against your principles', you should have just written, 'please do it'." However, Mufti Taqi Usmani RA said that when doing sifarish one must try to balance the rights of and be fair to both the parties.
GETTING UPSET WHEN SIFARISH IS NOT ACCEPTED
People today misunderstand that if they have done a sifarish then the other person is somehow obligated to accept it, and get upset or angry when it is not accepted. At the beginning you would have noticed that Rasool Allah SAW said, "Make sifarish to me, but it is not obligatory that I will accept it. I will decide what Allah SWT says is the right thing to do." Today people feel that if their sifarish or suggestion is not acted upon, somehow they have been insulted. That is not correct. Religiously the meaning of sifarish is to do one's part in helping someone in need. Once they have done that they get thawab (reward) for it regardless of whether it is acted upon or not.
Many Muslims have heard the story of Hazrat Bareerah RAA and Hazrat Mughis RAA when Hazrat Bareerah terminated her nikah with him. When Rasool Allah SAW asked her to reconsider it she asked if it was his suggestion or an order from him. When he said it was just a suggestion she said that in that case her decision was not to accept it and Rasool Allah SAW didn't express any displeasure at all.
In summary, one must remember a few things when doing sifarish. First, safarish should only be done in situations where it is permissible. It should not be done in circumstances where it is hara'am like for court cases or when someone is checking exam papers. Second, sifarish should only be done when one knows that favour itself is permissible, for example if you know that someone has the qualifications required to do that particular job. Third, it should be made as a suggestion, and no undue pressure or influence should be wielded. Fourth, if someone rejects our sifarish we shouldn't get upset and angry and should remember that it was just a suggestion which the other person had the full right to accept or reject. If these four principles are adhered to then InshaAllah safarish will lead to getting thawab and will not lead to causing unfairness and injustice in society.
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